Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Defending the Evil Vicar

I've linked the above video before, as it's one of my favorite sketches. You'd think I'd hate it - the prissy, snobbish vicar, cast as an overbearing villain. But something about it always appealed to me, and I never really knew why. I mean, sure - it was /funny/, and I don't really need a reason beyond that. Sometimes a laugh's just a laugh.

Still, something was nagging at me about this entire exchange. And a few days ago, I finally managed to figure it out: the Vicar's in the right here.

Look at the context. You have the New Age touchy-feely woman dragging her 'You know, I don't even want to be here' husband to Church... and her interest in actual Christian teaching is utterly zero. All that matters is that Church is a more inclusive, happy place, and she likes that. It doesn't even matter that her husband doesn't give a rat's ass about it - he has to go and give it a chance, because, you'll see, it's just plain nice. It's not like you have to be Christian or anything.

It's just a Church.

The fact that we expect the vicar to find this all fantastic just shows how far things have slipped. Is the vicar an asshole? Sure he is, but he's completely justified in being pissed off. He's the vicar in charge of that Church, and apparently he actually believes in the teachings. No, he's not running a support group for people who feel the world needs more positive thinking. Here comes someone who's completely unconcerned with the teachings, and expecting that things are going to conform to her beliefs - and she's probably not alone in thinking that.

Better yet, the vicar has the couple clearly pegged. 'Internet-assembled philosophy' is apt - this woman barely knows what she believes, to say nothing of her husband. Oh, they're entitled to their beliefs? Great. Why does the vicar care? This place isn't putting this up to a vote, even if it is an Anglican church.

The final straw is the woman exclaiming 'We have a right to be here! This is a place of peace!' She's telling the vicar of the church what is and isn't right there, and she doesn't even believe any of it. All she cares about is how 'inclusive' the place is supposed to be and how nice the people are. Churches are supposed to be nice and the vicar isn't being nice. How dare he be sick of people like her! She's supposed to make people like him feel like they don't belong there, not the other way around!

Really, what self-respecting Christian wouldn't show these two the door, with or without an upraised cross and a loud voice?

I like the skit because, even though it's an attempt to mock Christians portraying them as a caricature, it somewhat backfires because in great irony it shows how vapid modernism is when it deals with orthodoxy or any Christian with a backbone. It reveals more about the people who created it than it does any "Damn you to hell you demon! Be gone!" types.

You can learn alot about your opposition on how they portray you or how they try to paint you on any issue you find disagreement on. Sometimes it's reasonable; most of the times it's laughable.